


Silver Linings

by daybreakfiction



Category: NU'EST, Produce 101 (TV), Wanna One (Band)
Genre: M/M, More relationships tags will be added, dont be fooled by the tags guanlin is the main character, guanlin and seonho are bffs here ok, guanlin and seonho are my sons, relationships aren't as important here but they're still here, rise minhwan rise, will add tags as this goes on
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-16
Updated: 2017-11-02
Packaged: 2018-12-16 01:42:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 16,231
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11818551
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/daybreakfiction/pseuds/daybreakfiction
Summary: After time travelling from the past and getting left behind in the future, former servant Guanlin thinks his life can't get any worse.Until it does.Because of high school.(also known as Breath of Time's sequel)





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> and the sequel to "Breath of Time" is here! i'm going to be focusing more on guanlin and seonho in this one, but characters from "Breath of Time" will be appearing all over the place. 
> 
> as per usual, my grammar and spelling suck. heh.

Guanlin, in all of his fifteen years of life, had never had a proper education before. As a servant of the royal family, he was only taught how to do chores such as cleaning and cooking. Jonghyun had taught him the alphabet and how to read, but his vocabulary was extremely limited. This was also the case when he had started to learn basic English in school. He was already struggling with modern day Korean, so learning a second language was difficult. This is why  when he was told that he would have to take an English exam at school, he immediately freaked out.

"I can barely read!" Guanlin complained during breakfast. Jisung sighed and placed his newspaper down, frowning at the teenager.

"Minhyun has been tutoring you for months. I'm sure you'll do fine on your first English exam." Jisung tried to reassure Guanlin, but the high school student still felt nervous.

"What's Guanlin freaking out about today?" Minhyun said as he walked into the kitchen. He was still dressed in his pajamas, which meant he didn't have to go to class. Guanlin was extremely jealous of the college student’s class schedule. 

"I have an English exam today." Guanlin mumbled softly before taking a bite of his toast. 

Minhyun smiled as he poured himself a cup of juice before joining them at the table. He took a seat next to Guanlin and gently pat his head. 

"You've been studying every day, so I think you'll do just fine. Don't worry too much about it." Minhyun said before taking a sip of his juice. He wasn't very fond of coffee, so he opted to drink juice every morning.

"I hope so." Guanlin let out a soft sigh and did his best to finish all of his breakfast. Jisung had always cooked too much food for the three of them and Guanlin still wasn't used to eating a complete meal. When he was a servant in the past he would eat just enough to fight of hunger. He never told Jaehwan about his eating habits because he was worried the prince would scold him for not eating enough.

Now in the future, Guanlin had a lot of privileges. Jisung and Minhyun had given him a cell phone a few weeks after he had arrived because they were worried about him getting lost. They had gifted him with something they called a smartphone, which confused Guanlin because he believed all phones were technically smart. Being able to contact a person through a small yet simple device was amazing to the former servant. 

The only thing Guanlin ever did with the phone was make phone calls and send texts. He never took pictures and he never played any games. Jisung was convinced that Guanlin just didn’t feel interested in those kinds of things. 

“Let’s get going, Guanlin. We’re both going to be late if we don’t leave soon.” Jisung said as he stood up and straightened his tie. Guanlin shoved the rest of his toast into his mouth and stood up as well.

"Don't forget to chew." Minhyun chuckled and waved goodbye as Jisung and Guanlin headed towards the door.

On a normal day, Guanlin would have waited for Seonho to arrive at the apartment so that they could ride the bus to schol together. However, the other high schooler had texted Guanlin the night before and had said that their high school basketball team would be having a meeting before the school day started, so Seonho wouldn't be able to accompany Guanlin to school.

"Are you doing anything after school today?" Jisung asked as they walked over to the elevator. Guanlin pressed the down button before shaking his head.

"I'll be coming back home right after class. I think Seonho has basketball practice this afternoon." The teenager replied, causing Jisung to frown at him.

"You came here seven months ago and you just started school last month, but don't you think you should join some activities? Try asking Seonho what kind of clubs your school has." Jisung smiled as they got onto the elevator to head down to the parking garage. 

Guanlin tried his best to think of any clubs he had heard about at school before. He already knew that his school had a few sports teams, but he wasn't familiar with sports yet. He also knew that the school had a band and orchestra, but again, he wasn't familiar with any instruments. 

"Hyung, if I find a club that interests me, can I join?" Guanlin asked as the elevator finally reached the parking garage. 

"Of course you can! As long as you can manage your schoolwork and your club activities, there shouldn't be any problem." Jisung replied, feeling happy that Guanlin was showing some interest in clubs at school. Jisung knew that Guanlin was friendly with his classmates at school, but the only real friend that he had was Seonho. The teenager needed to make more friends at school.

The two then got into Jisung's car, which Guanlin still thought was amazing. A moving vehicle was a huge upgrade compared to the horses he used to ride. The car ride to Guanlin's school was quiet, but comfortable. Jisung dropped Guanlin off at the front of his school, where Seonho was already waiting.

"I'm sorry about this morning!" Seonho said as he rushed over to Guanlin. The former servant just simled and waved his hand.

"It's alright, I know how much basketball means to you." Guanlin replied as they started to walk into their school. It was a fairly small high school and everyone seemed to know everyone else. As they walked through the halls, they both caught attention. 

Guanlin caught attention because he was still new to the school and was an attraction of some sort. Seonho caught attention because he was extremely popular due to being a star player on the basketball team.

"So, how did the meeting go?" Guanlin asked when they finally reached their class. Luckily enough, they got to choose their own seats which meant that they were sitting next to each other.

"We have a huge problem! One of the hyungs on the team broke his leg and now he can't play for the rest of the season. He was one of the best players on the team and now we don't know what we're going to do without him." Seonho sighed and flopped down into his chair in despair. Guanlin carefully sat down in the desk next to him.

"Can't you just use a backup player for him? Do you have those?" Guanlin asked, still not quite sure about how many players were on the team. He had watched them practice once and was immediately confused about the game. However, now he knew the basics of the game, mainly because Seonho had taught him about it one day while watching a televised basketball game.

"We don't have any players left. Our two backup players are also injured. This means we have to drop out of the tournament we're supposed to play next week." Seonho said as he lay his head onto his desk. He was really competitive, which meant dropping out of the tournament would devestate him.

"I'll join."

Seonho's eyes widened and he sat up to stare at Guanlin, "What did you just say?"

"I want to join the basketball team."


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HELLO FRIENDS   
> hope you enjoy this chapter  
> my grammar and spelling sucks but thats not new
> 
> and as a reference, guanlin and seonho are freshman in high school.   
> minhyun and daniel are juniors in college.
> 
> leave a comment! tell me what you think!

"Seonho! You're late to practice. I know you're the maknae of this team but we won't let you get away with anything." 

"Sorry hyung! I'm only late because I have some great news." 

Seonho waved his arms as he walked into the gym to greet his basketball captain. The captain of the basketball team, Ahn Hyungseob, was a few years older than both Seonho and Guanlin. He was already a senior in high school and was going to graduate by the end of the school year.

"What great news do you have today? It better not be about a restaurant offering discounts to students." Hyungseob passed the basketball over to Seonho, who caught it naturally.

"I have recruited someone to join the basketball team." Seonho grinned and pointed over to the entrance of the gym, where Guanlin was standing nervously. He was still dressed in his regular uniform, but he was ready to try out for the team. His clothes wouldn't get in his way.

"Guanlin? He wants to join?" Another player asked as he approached Seonho and Hyungseob. Lee Euiwoong was another player that was on the team. However, unlike Hyungseob, he was in the same grade as Seonho and Guanlin.

"Yeah, but he's kind of shy about asking. Guanlin! Get over here." Seonho called out as he turned back to his friend. He waved his hand, signaling Guanlin to approach the team captain. 

Guanlin walked over to the three players and bowed his head, "I'm Guanlin and I'd like to join the basketball team."

Hyungseob and Euiwoong stared at him for a moment, not quite sure what to say. Euiwoong had met Guanlin when he first started school, but they hadn't had the chance to talk with each other yet. He wasn't quite sure about Guanlin's basketball skills as well.

"Can he even play?" Hyungseob asked as Seonho dribbled the ball in front of him. 

"He's a pretty good shooter. We would have to teach him our special plays and stuff, but he's a fast learner." Seonho replied before passing the ball over to Guanlin.

Guanlin dribbled the ball and stared at the hoop that was quite far from them. He looked down at the lines on the gym floor and saw that he was standing at the three-point line. He bit his lip and aimed carefully before shooting the ball towards the hoop. Hyungseob and Euiwoon stared in interest, watching as the ball fell into the hoop perfectly.

"You're right, he's a decent shooter. Let's have him join a practice or two and then we can decide." Hyungseob smiled at Guanlin, who nodded back in reply. 

"When should I join practice?" Guanlin asked softly.

"We have practice tomorrow after school. Bring some extra clothes and join us then." Hyungseob explained, still smiling at Guanlin. He was excited to see what Guanlin would be able to offer the team and it did seem like he had a lot of potential.

Seonho grinned and gave Guanlin a quick hug, celebrating the fact that he would be given the chance to try out for the team. Seonho knew that Guanlin was happy because he had a small smile on his face. Rarely did Guanlin ever talk about his feelings, so Seonho relied on his facial expressions to understand him.

"I'll see you guys tomorrow." Guanlin bowed before he turned to walk out of the gym. Seonho waved at his friend when he left the gym before facing Hyungseob and Euiwoong again. 

"You think he'll be good enough to get us through the tournament?" Euiwoong asked.

"I think so. Let's just give him a chance because we really need help." Hyungseob replied, before clapping his hands together. 

"Alright, let's get back to practice."

Seonho nodded his head and jogged over to grab a basketball from the side. Hyungseob just chuckled and shook his head at the young high schooler. 

"Seonho, you were late. Go do ten laps." Seonho let out a groan at the captain's words and started running around the gym to complete his laps.

Seonho was definitely excited for having Guanlin on the basketball team. It meant a lot to him that his friend wanted to join because then Guanlin would be able to make more friends at school. Throughout the seven months of their friendship, Seonho noticed that Guanlin only ever talked to Minhyun, Jisung, Daniel, and Seonho himself. 

It was finally time for Guanlin to start his life in the future.

X

Minhyun twirled his pen around as he tried to concentrate on his calculus homework. He was supposed to be studying in the library, but Daniel wanted to meet at a nearby coffee shop instead. However, Minhyun's friend was nowhere to be seen and they were supposed to meet twenty minutes ago.

"Minhyun! Sorry I'm late!" A voice called out, causing Minhyun to look up towards the entrance of the café. Daniel looked like he was out of breath when he reached the table Minhyun was sitting at.

"I'm not even surprised that you're this late." Minhyun chuckled as Daniel took a seat across from him. 

"It was an accident! I missed my bus so I had to take the next one. Have you ordered a drink yet? I'll buy you a drink since you waited for so long." 

"Can you buy me iced tea?" Minhyun asked with a small smile on his face.

Daniel nodded and stood up from his seat to go order the drinks for the two of them. As he waited in line, he kept shifting his weight back and forth between his left and right foot. It was a strange habit he had ever since he was a kid and he only ever did it when he was waiting in line for something.

He ordered both of them iced tea and quickly paid for the drinks before returning to his seat. Minhyun was still working on his calculus homework. 

"Why'd you want to study here?" Minhyun asked, not looking up from his homework.

"No reason in particular. I just wanted somewhere to study where I can also drink something." Daniel replied, chuckling softly. He never studied in the library because of its strict rules. 

After the two received their drinks for the server, they started to study. Daniel struggled with calculus, but Minhyun was always ready to help him out with the problems he didn't understand. They worked in silence for a few minutes, not minding the noise that came from the other customers in the café. People kept entering and exiting the café, but it wasn't distracting the two college students.

"Hey, can you help me with the last question?" Daniel said as he looked up to face Minhyun, but someone else caught his gaze. 

A young man had walked into the café and was standing in line to order a drink. Daniel's jaw dropped as he stared at the young man and a strange wave of nostalgia came over him. He couldn't believe what was before his eyes.

"Daniel? What's wrong?" Minhyun asked when he noticed Daniel staring over at the line for drinks. He turned slightly to face whoever Daniel was looking at and his eyes widened when he realized who seemed to be standing before his eyes. He rubbed his eyes, just in case he was seeing things, but his vision remained the same. 

" _Seongwoo_?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> you're gonna see a lot of new (and possibly old) characters making an appearance!


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for the lack of guanlin (he's not even in the chapter) fsnkjfnskjf  
> but he'll have a big part in the next chapter!
> 
> blah blah blah my grammar and spelling suck nothing else is new

"Daniel, wait. Sit down." Minhyun reached across the table and grabbed Daniel's arm, keeping him seated.

"How can I just sit here? Don't you see Prince Seongwoo over there?" Daniel whispered as he kept glancing over to the Seongwoo lookalike. He was still waiting in line to order a drink.

"Daniel, just think for a second. How in the world could Seongwoo be here? Do you really think he would time travel here?" Minhyun reasoned out. There was no way that Seongwoo would do something like that. 

"Prince Jaehwan time traveled here! Even Guanlin is from the past, so what would stop Prince Seongwoo from doing the same?" Daniel said, arguing with his friend.

Minhyun pressed his lips together and decided not to reply to what Daniel was saying. Minhyun never told Daniel about the one time that Jaehwan had managed to contact him through the silver mirror after he had returned home, but he had a good reason for keeping that a secret.

Jaehwan had told Minhyun about Seongwoo's death and Minhyun couldn't bring himself to tell anyone about it. Jisung, Guanlin, and Daniel all thought Seongwoo was still alive. 

Daniel kept his eyes on the Seongwoo lookalike, watching as he took a seat at the corner of the café shop. He was just scrolling through his phone as he waited for his drink to be served. 

"Should I go talk to him?" Daniel whispered as he looked back at Minhyun.

"What? No! You don't know who he even is." Minhyun replied, frowning at his friend. He didn't want to watch Daniel make a stupid decision and embarrass himself. 

"Well, I didn't know you when I first talked to you and look at us now!" Daniel countered back, nearly getting out of his seat. He really wanted to talk to the Seongwoo lookalike. This might be his only chance to ever talk to him.

"What are you even going to say to him?" Minhyun asked.

"I don't know yet... I'll figure it out when I get there." Daniel said as he finally stood up from his seat with his drink in his hand. Minhyun sighed and tried his best not to stare when Daniel made his way over to the lookalike.

Daniel took a deep breath and put on his brightest smile as he approached the young man. He was still staring at his phone when Daniel took a seat across from him. The young man looked up in surprise and stared right back at Daniel, not saying a word.

"Uh, hi." Daniel said, still smiling at the young man.

"Hello there. How may I help you?" The young man said and Daniel tried his best not to let his smile grow even more. The young man's voice even sounded like Seongwoo's.

"Okay, I know this sounds stupid... I think you're really cute and my friend told me not to come up and talk to you, but I couldn't help myself and now I'm here in front of you and rambling and I really wish I could stop talking." Daniel sighed once he realized he ruined his chance of talking to the young man. There was no way he would want to talk to him now. The young man probably thought he was weird. 

"That was pretty cute. What's your name?" The young man asked with a small smile on his face. 

Daniel's smile returned once more when he heard the young man's response, "I'm Kang Daniel. What's your name?" 

"My name's Ong Seongwoo. It's nice to meet you." 

Daniel's eyes widened when he heard the young man's name. That particular name wasn't very common, so hearing it almost caused Daniel's heart to stop. 

"It's nice to meet you too, Seongwoo." Daniel reached his hand forward and Seongwoo grabbed it, shaking it firmly. 

"I really wish I could stay and talk, but I have a photoshoot to get to. Here's my number! You can call or text me later today." Seongwoo said as he took a card out of his wallet to hand to Daniel. 

Daniel took the card and stared at it for a moment. It had Seongwoo's name on it, along with a phone number. One thing that caught his eye was that it seemed to be a business card for Seongwoo.

"You work at a modeling agency?" Daniel asked when Seongwoo stood up from his seat. 

"I'm a model. I'll see you around, Daniel." Seongwoo winked as he walked away from his table and Daniel nearly fell out of his seat. He kept staring at the business card when he returned to where Minhyun was sitting.

Minhyun had already finished his calculus homework and was just doodling in his notebook to pass the time. He didn't even raise his head from his notebook when Daniel sat back down.

"So did you embarrass yourself?" Minhyun asked, still not looking up at Daniel.

"Maybe just a little bit. But Minhyun, you won't believe what his name is!" Daniel said, sliding the card across the table over to his friend. 

Minhyun glanced at the card before picking it up. His eyes widened when he read over the details on the card.

"You've got to be kidding me." 

"I know! What are the odds that he has the same name as the prince and looks exactly like him?" Daniel said as he took the card back from Minhyun. He quickly placed it into his wallet just in case he might lose it.

"Maybe he's a descendent of Prince Seongwoo?" Minhyun said when his phone abruptly started to ring. He took his phone out of his pocket and glanced at the screen to see who was calling him.

"Jisung hyung?" Minhyun blinked at the screen, feeling surprised that his older brother was calling.

"He's calling you? He normally never calls unless it's an emergency." Daniel noted, remembering that Jisung was more of a texter instead of a caller. 

Minhyun answered the call and held the phone to his ear, "Yes hyung?"

"Get back home right now!" Jisung's voice cried out. Minhyun could hear that something was wrong.

"Why? What happened? Are you okay? Is Guanlin okay?" Minhyun said as he started throwing his things into his backpack. Daniel started gathering his things as well, getting ready to leave with his friend.

"Just get home. Quick." Jisung suddenly hung up, causing Minhyuin to become even more worried. 

"How far are we from your house?" Daniel said as he and Minhyun quickly left the café.

"Just a few blocks. Let's run." 

Minhyun and Daniel ran in the direction of Minhyun's apartment. Neither of them were fast runners, but Minhyun's adrenaline was rushing through him as he ran. He wasn't sure if Jisung or Guanlin needed help, but he knew that he had to get home as soon as possible to figure out what exactly was happening. 

He only hoped everyone was okay. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> leave a comment down below and tell me what you think!


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> it's been a long time since an update but i apologize for that! the story is almost half-way over and it won't be as intense as breath of time was. 
> 
> sorry for the grammar and spelling mistakes running around!! i'm sick right now so i didn't edit as well as i had hoped to. 
> 
> few notes;   
> jisung - 26  
> minhyun & daniel - 22  
> guanlin & seonho - 15

When Minhyun entered his apartment, he saw his older brother sitting calmly on the couch while watching television. Jisung looked to be completely okay and nothing seemed out of place.

"Hyung! Why did you tell me to rush home?" Minhyun asked as he and Daniel walked inside. Daniel had tagged along just in case something terrible had happened. 

"Look inside Guanlin's room." Jisung simply said, still watching television.

Minhyun frowned at his brother's vague response before walking over to Guanlin's room. The door was closed, so he knocked twice before opening the door. Inside, he saw Guanlin wearing gym shorts and a t-shirt. He looked as if he had just finished exercising because he was sweating.

"Yes hyung?" Guanlin asked when Minhyun stepped inside.

"Jisung hyung told me there was an emergency and told me to rush home. Are you okay?" Minhyun said, taking a few steps towards the high school student.

Guanlin tried his best not to roll his eyes, "Jisung hyung was just overreacting. I think he just wanted to tell you that I might be joining the basketball team. I just got back from practicing by myself in the park."

Minhyun just sighed and left the room without saying anything. He walked back over to where his brother was sitting with Daniel.

"Is everything alright?" Daniel asked when Minhyun took a seat next to him on the couch.

"Guanlin's joining the basketball team. That was the big emergency." Minhyun sighed once more and threw a pillow at his brother, who easily caught it.

"Be proud of Guanlin! He's finally opening up to people and he's going to make new friends! I already promised to go to all of his games." Jisung smiled.

"Maybe we should play basketball with him?" Daniel suggested and Minhyun just chuckled in reply.

"You know I'm horrible at sports. You should ask Seonho to join you because he's probably the one that told Guanlin about playing basketball." Minhyun replied as Guanlin walked into the room with a piece of paper in his hands.

"Jisung hyung, I need your permission to try out for the basketball team." The teenager said as he handed the piece of paper to Jisung. Minhyun and Daniel leaned over Jisung's shoulders to read through the paper. It was basically just a letter of consent for Guanlin to try out for the team.

"You can join the team, but I don't want you to forget about your school work and chores at home." Jisung said as he signed the paper. He handed it back to Guanlin who was smiling happily. 

"You'll never believe who I saw today!" Daniel suddenly exclaimed, standing from the couch. Jisung and Guanlin stared at him, curious about why Daniel was so excited.

"Who did you see, Daniel hyung?" Guanlin said as he sat down where Daniel was once sitting. 

"I saw Prince Seongwoo at the café Minhyun and I were studying in!" Daniel said, causing both Guanlin and Jisung to gasp before they yelled out questions.

"Did he recognize you?"

"Did he time travel here?!"

"Did he say anything about the past?"

"Wait, slow down both of you." Minhyun said, standing up from the couch. He crossed his arms and let out a sigh.

"You guys are jumping to conclusions. Though I can't really blame you because first of all, it wasn't Prince Seongwoo that we saw. It was someone who happened to look a lot like Prince Seongwoo."

"They even have the same name!" Daniel chimed in and Minhyun had to resist the urge to let out another sigh.

"Anyway, his name was Ong Seongwoo and apparently he's a model. He gave Daniel his phone number." Minhyun said and Daniel took the card out of his pocket to show Jisung and Guanlin.

"But Daniel, don't you think it's kind of weird to be talking this Ong Seongwoo? I mean, whether you like it or not, he's not the Prince Seongwoo you met before." Jisung said, frowning slightly. He was worried about Daniel getting his feelings hurt. There was no way to tell if Ong Seongwoo had the same personality as Prince Seongwoo. 

"I know, but I just want to be friends with him for now. Even though he resembles Prince Seongwoo, there's a chance that he might be better, you know?" Daniel said, smiling at the business card in his hand. 

"That reminds me, what's for dinner tonight?" Guanlin suddenly said as he placed a hand on his stomach. He had been at the local basketball court earlier in the day to practice by himself, so he was definitely starving. 

"Let's go out to eat. Daniel, do you want to come with us?" Jisung said, standing up from the couch. He didn't mind letting Minhyun and Guanlin bring friends along to dinner.

"Sure, I'll go."

"Hyung, can I invite Seonho too?" Guanlin asked. He knew what Jisung's answer would be, so he was already texting Seonho.

"Go ahead. Tell him to meet us at the usual place." Jisung replied.

The four of them quickly left the apartment, ready to eat dinner. Guanlin was happy living in the future, even though he still felt a bit lost at times. He was glad that Jisung and Minhyun were taking good care of him and without them, Guanlin was sure he wouldn't be able to survive. He was also thankful for Seonho because he truly was a good friend. If Seonho wasn't around, Guanlin wouldn't make it through high school.

He was content with his life, but something felt like it was missing. 

X

"Prince Jaehwan, don't you think it's time to stop hiding from Jonghyun whenever he calls for you." 

"I can't, Minki hyung. I'm scared of him."

"He's Jonghyun for crying out loud, he wouldn't even hurt a fly."

Prince Jaehwan, the current heir to the throne, sighed softly. He had been running away from the royal advisor for a few hours. His coronation was expected to be in two weeks, so the kingdom was in chaos over preparations. Someone had to plan the decorations, the food, the layout, and many more things that Jaehwan just didn't understand. 

His father had become more ill as months passed by, which meant Jaehwan was going to inherit the throne at the young age of 20, rather than the traditional age of 22.

Daehwi seemed to be excited about the whole ceremony. He was even helping Minki plan a few things around the castle. Jonghyun, on the other hand, was just as stressed as Jaehwan. He had to make sure everything was perfect. 

The kingdom took months to mourn Seongwoo's death. The citizens loved him and were truly heartbroken when they found out that he had been killed. However, ever since that day, the witches have been minding their own business. Jaehwan had not seen the witch that had killed his brother since the day everything had happened. The deceased prince had a memorial built right next to his mother. Jaehwan made sure to visit it every day. 

"Prince Jaehwan, it's time for you to practice your speech. Let's go." Jonghyun called from outside of Jaehwan's room. The prince normally hid in his own room whenever he wanted to be alone, making it easy for Jonghyun to find him.

Jaehwan wasn't sure why he felt so unhappy as the heir to the throne. He felt more stressed than ever and nothing would help him.

He just wanted to run away, even if it was for a short time only.

As Jaehwan started to walk out of the room, he turned to Minki and asked, "Do you ever miss the future, Minki hyung?" 

"Sometimes, but my future is right here in front of me." Minki said softly so that only the prince could hear him. The witch smiled at Jonghyun as they passed him. 

Jaehwan smiled a bit and nodded his head, understanding what Minki was saying. Suddenly, his eyes widened when an idea came through his mind. He knew he would get into trouble, but perhaps this idea was the only way that he would be able to calm down. 

He knew exactly what he needed to do.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> more notes! (had to include this at the end bc surprise! they're back!)   
> jonghyun & minki - 22  
> jaehwan - 20  
> daehwi - 16
> 
> leave a comment please and tell me what you think! don't forget to leave kudos and to subscribe!


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello! sorry for the wait. also as always, sorry for grammar and spelling mistakes : )

Guanlin tugged at the bottom of his jersey nervously, watching as Hyungseob explained to the team about Guanlin's try out. He was joining practice for the first time and Hyungseob was going to be evaluating if Guanlin was good enough to play on the team.

"So just treat him like a member of the team for now. We'll see how well he does and I'll make the decision later today on if he's joining." Hyungseob said, passing Seonho the ball.

"Let's play a practice game of three on three. Guanlin's with me." Seonho said, dribbling the ball. Euiwoong joined their team and three other players got ready to play against them.

Seonho started off with the ball and he slowly jogged closer towards the hoop. However, he quickly passed the ball over to Guanlin, who caught it with ease. No one was blocking Guanlin, so he was able to shoot the ball without any trouble. 

Seonho and Euiwoong both ran over to Guanlin to give him a quick high five. Guanlin smiled back, feeling happy he was able to score a point. 

The practice game went on for a few more minutes and it ended when Guanlin's team scored ten points. 

Hyungseob had a wide smile on his face as Guanlin walked over to the bench to grab his waterbottle. 

"You're good. I like how well you worked with Seonho and Euiwoong. You're definitely a team player." The team captain said, still smiling at Guanlin.

"Does this mean he can join the team, hyung?" Seonho said as he took a seat next to Hyungseob.

"He definitely can. But there's a paper that your parent needs to sign to finally let you on the team." Hyungseob said, causing Guanlin to become slightly confused.

"My parents..?" The former servant said, frowning a bit.

Seonho stared at Guanlin, feeling worried at the sight of his frown. "Have Jisung hyung or Minhyun hyung sign it."

"Yeah, a guardian of yours can sign it as well. It doesn't have to be a parent." Hyungseob said after he caught Guanlin's reaction. He held the form out to Guanlin, waiting for the younger boy to take it. 

Guanlin nodded before taking the form from the captain. He stared at the line where it required a parent signature. He frowned once more before placing the form into his bag. 

He would have to worry about that later.

X

Daehwi sighed when he realized his brother had locked himself in his room again. He was standing on the other side of the door with his arms crossed, waiting for Jaehwan to come out.

"Hyung, come on! You have a fitting to attend and Jonghyun hyung is going to get mad if you try to skip again." Daehwi called out, knocking on the door. He grabbed the handle, trying to turn it, but it still wouldn't budge. 

"Is something the matter, Prince Daehwi?" A voice called and the young prince let out a sigh of relief when he recognized the voice.

"Dongho hyung! Break this door down!" 

"First of all, I'm not some sort of barbarian. Second of all, no." The knight chuckled and went over to Jaehwan's door, knocking on it as well.

"I already tried that. He's not coming out." Daehwi sighed before kicking his brother's door.

"Why don't you just pick the lock?" Dongho suggested, taking out a pin from his pocket. Daehwi decided not to ask why the knight had a pin in his pocket.

Dongho carefully used the pin to unlock the door and it only took about a minute until it was open. Daehwi immediately pushed the door open, searching for his brother.

"Jaehwan hyung! Where are you? Stop hiding from me!" Daehwi called as he entered the crown prince's room. 

Daehwi frowned when he noticed the room was completely empty. His brother's bed was perfectly made which meant he wasn’t hiding there. Also, nothing seemed to be out of place.

"Where is Prince Jaehwan?" Dongho asked when he walked into the room. The prince was nowhere in sight. 

"I don't know... He was just here...." Daehwi said quietly. He could feel tears forming in his eyes, but he didn't want Dongho to see. 

"There's a piece of paper on the prince's nightstand. Why don't you go look at it?" Dongho said.  Since he was just a knight, he had no right to snoop around the crown prince's room.

The youngest prince quickly wiped his tears away before walking over to the small table that was next to his brother's bed. He picked up the paper that was left there and read it out loud.

"To whoever finds this first, please don't worry about me. I just needed a break from this chaos. I went to the future, but I will be back soon. Please just let me clear my mind first." Daehwi said, reading the letter. He looked over to Dongho, not quite sure what to do.

"We need to tell Jonghyun about this. He'll decide what the next step will be." Dongho said, nodding at Daehwi.

Daehwi nodded back before placing the letter into his pocket. He could tell that his brother was stressed because of the coronation that was going to take place and he didn't feel upset about Jaehwan running away. In fact, he was actually glad that Jaehwan had decided to run away. Once Jaehwan was king, he will not have any free time and that meant that this was the last thing Jaehwan would be able to do for himself.

"Jaehwan hyung will be fine." Daehwi said to himself as he left his brother's room. 

He knew everything would be just fine.

X

"So you were able to make the team?" Minhyun smiled as he and Guanlin entered their apartment building. Minhyun had waited for Guanlin to finish up his practice before the two took the bus back to the apartment together.

"Yeah, Hyungseob said he was impressed at my level of teamwork. There's a form that you or Jisung hyung have to sign to finalize everything." Guanlin said as he pressed the "up" button for the elevator. 

"Jisung hyung should sign it because he's older." Minhyun said, stepping into the elevator when it opened.

"Minhyun hyung, what were your parents like?" Guanlin asked softly, which surpirsed Minhyun.

Minhyun had told Guanlin a few months ago about how his parents passed away in a car accident a few years ago. That was the last time they ever talked about Minhyun's parents.

"They were very nice people. My mother was kind and my father was a bit strict, but they balanced each other out very well. Why do you ask?" Minhyun smiled at Guanlin before patting the high schooler's shoulder softly. 

The elevator doors opened on their floor and the two stepped out together. They walked towards the apartment with silent steps. 

"Hyungseob hyung first said that my parents should sign the form, but I think he saw that I reacted strangely so he quickly changed his words and said that my guardian should sign the paper. I guess I just reacted like that because I can't remember my parents." Guanlin smiled sadly as they approached their apartment door. Minhyun unlocked it with the passcode before stepping inside. 

"You once mentioned that your first memory is when Jaehwan found you, right?" Minhyun said as he took off his shoes at the entrance. Guanlin did the same after he stepped into the apartment. 

"Yeah, I can't really remember anything before that." Guanlin said, frowning as he walked towards his room. 

"Don't worry too much about that, okay? I don't want you to feel stressed or anything." Minhyun said as he followed Guanlin into his room. Minhyun smiled and gently pat Guanlin's head before giving him a quick hug.

"I'll be fine hyung." Guanlin smiled back at Minhyun before the college student left his room.

Minhyun let out a soft sigh as he walked towards his own room. He wasn't quite sure how to "raise" Guanlin, especially because he wasn't exactly a normal teenager. He didn't have memories of his childhood and he was raised as a servant. 

"I should talk to Jisung hyung about this when he comes home..." Minhyun said to himself as he climbed into his bed. A short nap was exactly what he needed and he already knew Jisung would wake him up when dinner was ready.

Minhyun quickly fell asleep, completely unaware of what was about to happen.

X

Jisung sighed when he realized that he would have to park his car in the outdoor parking lot rather than the indoor parking lot. Normally, there would be plenty of space in the indoor parking lot, but it was raining and that meant that everyone would be parking their car indoor to keep it covered.

"At least I have an umbrella..." Jisung said as he parked his car in the closest parking spot to his apartment building. He grabbed his umbrella from his bag and opened it as soon as he got out of his car.

As he was walking towards the apartment building, he noticed a young man sitting on the bench outside of the entrance. The young man was wearing strange clothes and didn't have an umbrella, so Jisung immediately felt something was wrong.

Jisung took quick strides over to the bench and as he got closer, he could see that the young man was actually unconscious on the bench. His eyes widened when he finally recognized who was on the bench.

"Prince Jaehwan?!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> leave kudos and or subscribe! comment and tell me what you think.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> updates are probably gonna happen about once every ten days or so. school and work is taking up a lot of my time : (
> 
> anyway, this update is very short but i just wanted to set the foundation for the next chapter which will be much much much longer than this. 
> 
> beware! i make spelling and grammar mistakes all the time! heh.

"Prince Jaehwan, can you hear me? Wake up!" Jisung gently shook the prince's shoulder, but he got no response. 

"What is he even doing here?" Jisung frowned and pulled on Jaehwan's arm, trying his best to pick him up. He wasn't exactly the strongest person in the world, but Jisung was capable of caryrying some weight. He carefully wrapped the prince's arm around his shoulder before dragging him inside of the apartment building. 

Jisung was lucky that there were no people around as he dragged Jaehwan inside. It would have been extremely difficult to explain what he was doing. 

"I really hope Minhyun and Guanlin are home." Jisung muttered softly before bringing Jaehwan into the elevator. The prince was still unconscious and it didn't seem as if he would be waking up any time soon.

Jisung struggled a bit with Jaehwan around his shoulder, but he did his best to bring the prince to his apartment. The older man quickly put in the passcode for the apartment before pushing the door open.

"Minhyun! Guanlin! Get over here." Jisung yelled as he walked into the apartment. As if on cue, Guanlin appeared while holding a mop. Jisung just assumed the teenager was doing his chores.

"Minhyun hyung is slee- Who's that?" Guanlin blinked as he stared at the young man Jisung was carrying.

"Don't you recognize him?" Jisung said, dragging the prince into the apartment.

"Wait, is that Prince Jaehwan? Did you kill him?" Guanlin dropped the mop and rushed forward, helping Jisung carry the prince into the living room. Guanlin carefully placed Jaehwan onto the couch before staring back at Jisung.

"Before you ask me again, no, I did not kill him. I found him outside in the rain." Jisung said as he took off his wet shoes. He was soaking wet because of the rain, but he didn't mind. 

"He's going to get sick if he stays in his wet clothes..." Guanlin said softly. His mindset was changing back into one of a servant. 

"I'll get some of Minhyun's clothes for him to wear. He would probably be more comfortable if you changed him instead of me." Jisung smiled at Guanlin before walking towards Minhyun's room.

Guanlin took a closer look at the prince's face. It had only been about eight months since Jaehwan had left him in the future and the former could definitely tell that the prince had aged. There was something more mature about Jaehwan's appearance and Guanlin was curious about what was happening in the past.

"Here are some of Minhyun's clothes. He's still asleep, so I suggest you change Jaehwan out of his wet clothes now. Go hang them in the bathroom when you're done." Jisung said as he returned holding some of Minhyun's old pajamas. He quickly left the room, giving them some privacy. 

Guanlin changed Jaehwan's clothes as fast as he could, knowing that the wet clothes could cause the prince to get sick. Jaehwan didn't seem to notice that his clothes were being changed since he was still unconscious. 

"He really hasn't changed that much..." Guanlin smiled before taking the wet clothes into the bathroom. He carefully hung them up to make sure they would dry. 

Guanlin was too busy hanging the clothes to notice that Minhyun had woken up from his nap and was walking towards the living room. The college student yawned softly as he entered the living room where Jaehwan was on the couch.

It took him a moment to realize that there was someone sleeping on the couch. He took quick steps towards the couch and his eyes widened once he realized who was there. 

"What is Jaehwan doing here?!" Minhyun yelled, running back over to the bathroom where Guanlin was.

"Jisung hyung said he found him outside in the rain. He hasn't woken up yet though." Guanlin said as he left the bathroom. He was feeling confused himself, but he knew better than to freak out.

Minhyun sighed and slowly walked back over to the living room, where Jaehwan was still asleep on the couch. He approached the sleeping prince quietly and sat down on the edge of the couch, still staring at Jaehwan. 

It had been a long time since they had seen each other, but Jaehwan still looked the same as always. His cheeks were still as round as they were before and Minhyun had to resist poking them. 

Minhyun just smiled and gently pat Jaehwan's head. His hair was still wet from the rain, causing him to shiver in his sleep. 

"Cover him with this." A voice said softly. Minhyun turned his head and saw his brother holding a blanket out to him. He took it and carefully placed it over the young sleeping prince. 

"Maybe he'll wake up if you kiss him." Jisung chuckled softly which only made Minhyun glare at him.

"Nice joke, hyung. Anyway, what do you think he's doing here?" Minhyun said as he continued to pat Jaehwan's head. The prince showed no signs of waking up.

"I have no idea. He was asleep when I found him outside in the rain and I have no idea how long he was there. I'm scared he might catch a cold." Jisung said, frowning slightly at the prince. 

"It's probably best to just let him sleep for now. I'll take him to my room so he can stay warm." Minhyun said. He stood up and carefully picked up the prince, trying to ignore the smile that was growing on his older brother's face. 

"Tell me when he wakes up, okay? I want to talk to him too." Jisung said, watching as Minhyun carried Jaehwan away.

Once he was in his room, Minhyun placed the sleeping prince onto his bed. He made sure that Jaehwan was comfortable and that he was covered with enough blankets. The prince let out a soft sigh in his sleep, which brought a small smile onto Minhyun's face.

"You silly prince, what exactly are you doing here?"

X

Daniel had an extremely bad habit of tapping his foot whenever he was nervous. It was a very bad habit that tended to annoy Minhyun and a few other people, but Daniel couldn't help himself sometimes. 

He only hoped Seongwoo didn't notice.

He had finally worked up the courage to text the model and had asked him out for a cup of coffee. Seongwoo had agreed almost immediately and they met up at the same café where Daniel had first approached Seongwoo.

"So what do you do?" Seongwoo asked as he took a sip of his coffee. He had a small smile on his face and Daniel tried his best not to think about Prince Seongwoo, who smiled the exact same way.

"I'm actually a junior in college right now. I'm majoring in criminology." Daniel replied, smiling back at Seongwoo. 

"Oh, that's pretty interesting! Do you want to become like a detective?" Seongwoo placed his cup down and leaned forward a bit, causing Daniel to lean back slightly. The model was already so comfortable around Daniel.

"Something like that. And you're a model, right?" Daniel said, thinking back to the card Seongwoo had given him when they first met. He still had the card in his wallet.

"Yup, I just got scouted last year. I'm not a bigtime model like the ones that do fashion and stuff, but I mainly do small advertisements around Seoul." Seongwoo's smile widened and Daniel felt his heart jump. This Seongwoo was too similar to Prince Seongwoo and it was causing Daniel to become confused with his feelings.

Did he have feelings for Seongwoo because of who he was or did he have feelings for Seongwoo because of who he reminded Daniel of? 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> if you ever have any questions or just wanna talk, i have a curiouscat!!! it's https://curiouscat.me/vocalkingjaehwan  
> i accept prompts for short drabbles too, if you wanna send those in :^ ) 
> 
> p.s. im gonna call future!seongwoo just seongwoo and past!seongwoo will normally be referred to as prince seongwoo


	7. Chapter 7

"Hyung! I'm going over to Seonho's place. His mom said I can have dinner there as well." Guanlin called out as he was standing at the entrance of the apartment. He had already put his shoes on and was just waiting for Jisung to give him permission to go. 

Jaehwan was still asleep and Guanlin definitely didn't want to be around for when he did wake up.

He still wasn't ready to talk to the prince after he had abandoned him.

"Are you sure you don't want to stay here for dinner? Minhyun was making your favorite..." Jisung frowned a bit when he walked over to where Guanlin was standing. 

"No, I don’t think I'm ready to see Prince Jaehwan. Is it alright if I sleep over at Seonho's? I have my school uniform here in my bag and all of my school things too." Guanlin said, showing off his backpack. He had packed everything he would need for a one-night stay at Seonho's.

"Only if his mother says yes. Text me when you get to his apartment and then text me also tomorrow morning when you go to school." Jisung said, patting the teenager's head softly. He knew that Guanlin still wasn't ready to talk to Prince Jaehwan.

"I'll come back tomorrow after basketball practice. Don't worry." Guanlin smiled before leaving the apartment. Jisung just sighed as he watched the teenager leave.

Jisung knew that Jaehwan had his reasons for leaving Guanlin behind, but unfortunately, the former servant wasn't mature enough to understand those reasons. Jaehwan wanted Guanlin to have a happier life and he believed that the only way for that to happen was for him to live in the future.

"Did he leave?" Minhyun said as Jisung walked into the kitchen. Minhyun was still cooking dinner for the three of them. He wasn't sure if Jaehwan would wake up in time to eat.

"Yeah, he looks kind of hurt. I don't want him to force himself to stay here if he's uncomfortable." Jisung said, letting out another sigh. Minhyun hummed in reply, nodding his head.

"I'm sure he'll be able to talk to Seonho about this. It's best to give him some space for now." Minhyun said as he finished up his cooking.  He had made seaweed soup because it was Guanlin's favorite, but unfortunately, he wouldn't be joining them.

The two brothers ate quietly, not used to how it felt without Guanlin eating with them. The last eight months were enjoyable for all them because it felt nice having someone else around in the house. Both Minhyun and Jisung felt the same way when Minki was living with them.

"Minhyun hyung?" 

Minhyun looked up from his seat in the table and saw that Jaehwan was standing in the entrance of the kitchen, rubbing his eyes sleepily. Minhyun recognized that the long-sleeved shirt Jaehwan was wearing was his own and that the sleeves were slightly too long for him. He smiled at the sight of the sleepy prince.

"How are you feeling, Prince Jaehwan?" Jisung said softly as the prince walked closer towards the dining room table. The prince yawned softly before taking a seat next to Minhyun. 

"I think I'm alright..." Jaehwan trailed off as he leaned his head against Minhyun's shoulder. 

Jisung smiled a bit when he saw the prince's affectionate nature towards his brother. It was obvious that the two of them had _something_ between them.

"What exactly are you doing here though?" Minhyun asked, feeling a bit curious. He was happy to see Jaehwan, but he knew that Jaehwan wouldn't have time traveled back to the future unless something was wrong.

"I'm about to inherit the throne in a few weeks and I've gotten so overwhelmed with everything happening in the castle right now. I needed some time to myself and this was the only place I could go." Jaehwan said softly, looking away from both Minhyun and Jisung. He didn't seem happy at all.

"Wait, you're inheriting the throne? What happened to Prince Seongwoo?" Jisung said with wide eyes. When he had left the past, Seongwoo was the crown prince and was slated to inherit the throne.

"You didn't tell them?" Jaehwan said towards Minhyun, who just shook his head.

Jisung stared as Minhyun replied, "I didn't want to hurt them..."

"Can you two please tell me what you guys are talking about?" Jisung said, frowning at his brother and the prince.

"On the day you left, Seongwoo hyung was killed by a witch."

X

Guanlin waited patiently as he waited for Seonho to answer the door. It had taken him almost 30 minutes to reach his friend's apartment, but the rain had soaked him nearly head to toe. He had an umbrella, but it was just useless. 

A few moments later, the door opened to reveal Seonho's mother. She had a bright smile on her face and was wearing an apron with a few stains on it. Guanlin assumed she was in the middle of cooking.

"There you are Guanlin! I was beginning to get worried about you. Oh, look at you! You're all wet, come in come in." Seonho's mother spoke quickly and Guanlin realized that Seonho probably spoke quickly because he picked it up from his mother.

"It's nice to see you again. Sorry for coming over so late." Guanlin bowed his head poiltely as he entered the apartment. He took off his shoe and placed them next to Seonho's. He took off his soaked jacket and hung it close to the door as well.

"Don't worry about it! Seonho just set the table, so you're just in time. My husband is working late tonight, so it's just going to be us tonight." Seonho's mother smiled at Guanlin, who looked away bashfully. He wasn't quite used to a mother's affection. 

"Guanlin! Sorry I didn't answer your call. I was helping my mom." Seonho smiled as Guanlin walked into the kitchen with his things. Seonho quickly took Guanlin's bag from him, taking it into his room. 

"Is everything alright at home? Seonho worried me when he said that you wanted to sleep over all of a sudden." Seonho's mother said as she brought over a big plate of spaghetti to the dining room table. Guanlin stared at the plate, feeling his mouth water already. He was hungry.

"Things are alright at home. I just wanted to spend some time away for a day." Guanlin smiled as he tried his best to seem convincing to Seonho's mother. He didn't want to tell her that he was a former servant and that the prince that had abandoned him had returned. That would take way too long to explain.

Seonho entered the room and took a seat next to Guanlin, excited to finally eat dinner. The three ate comfortably, with Seonho's mother asking them a few questions about school and basketball. She seemed quite happy when Guanlin told her that he was now on the team.

Once dinner was over, Guanlin and Seonho excused themselves from the table and retreated back to Seonho's room, where an extra set of blankets was placed on the floor.

"You sleep on my bed and I'll sleep on the floor." Seonho said as he plopped down onto the blankets. Guanlin was about to protest and say he would sleep on the floor instead, but the look at Seonho's face seemed as if he wasn't going to negotiate. 

"So why did you want to sleep over all of a sudden? I mean, I don't mind, but sleepovers arent usually done during a weekday." Seonho said softly as he was taking out his homework from his backpack. He had forgotten to finish his math homework. 

Guanlin sighed before replying, "Prince Jaehwan time traveled to the future and he's at my house. I haven't spoken to him ever since he left me here and I'm kind of... nervous to be around him." 

Seonho nodded his head and opened his mouth to say something, but he quickly shut it and jumped up in surprise instead.

"Wait, he's back?! Prince Jaehwan is here?!" Seonho nearly screamed, causing Guanlin to throw a pillow at him.

"Don't be so loud! But yes, he's here and I don't want to see him." Guanlin sighed sadly, still quite confused about what he should do.

"He must have come back here for a reason though... What if he was here to get you?" Seonho said softly, frowning at the idea of losing his best friend. It was hard when Minki suddenly left and Seonho wasn't quite sure he could handle Guanlin leaving as well.

"I doubt it. I think he only time traveled because something must have happened in the past. Something so overwhelming and horrible..." Guanlin replied. When they time traveled to the future before, Jaehwan only did it to get Minhyun out of danger. 

The former servant only wished he knew the reason why Jaehwan had returned. 

X

"He was alive and healthy when we left! What do you mean he was killed?"

"Jisung hyung, after you and Daniel left, we went to confront the witches. The leader was the husband of the witch Seongwoo had killed before, who was actually his mother. So, his own father came seeking for revenge." Jaehwan tried to explain as his eyes filled with tears. It was still hard for him to talk about the day Seongwoo was killed. Minhyun took one of Jaehwan's hand and held it in his own, patting is gently to calm the prince down.

Jaehwan took a deep breathe before continuing on, "The witch originally wanted all of the royal family dead, but he was willing to make a deal. He would spare the family, but he wanted Seongwoo. I thought they were just going to torture him or keep him as a servant... But..." 

"I can't believe this. All this time, I still thought Prince Seongwoo was alive. Is this why you never talked about him?" Jisung turned his attention to Minhyun, who nodded his head slowly.

"I didn't want to tell you guys because I didn't want to hurt you. I never expected to talk about it again." Minhyun replied, frowning a bit. 

"But wait, how did you find out about Seongwoo's death in the first place?" Jisung said as he crossed his arms. He was getting more and more confused about everything.

"I contacted him through the mirror once and told him. I felt like he needed to know." Jaehwan said as he looked down at his lap. He felt horrible about everything that had happened, as if he was the one that caused it all.

"Jaehwan, let's talk more about this later. Why don't you eat some soup first? You were in the rain for who knows how long, so it's best to warm your body up with soup." Jisung said, urging the prince to eat. Minhyun stood up from the table and got another bowl of soup for Jaehwan. The prince thanked Minhyun and started to eat his soup quietly. 

The three continued on with their meal, eating in comfortable silence. The rain was still pouring outside and it was pounding on the windows. The lights flickered for a moment, but remained on. 

Suddenly the doorbell rang, surprising everyone at the table. Minhyun stood up from the table and walked towards the entrance to check who was ringing their buzzer.

"Yes?" He said as he pressed the button for the intercom. He was staring into the camera, but the rain was making the picture quite blury.

"Minhyun! This is Daniel. My phone died and I'm stuck in the rain. Can I come up there for a while?" Daniel's voice called out on the other side of the line.

"Okay, give me a second to unlock the door." Minhyun replied as he pressed another button to unlock the door downstairs to the apartment. He knew it would take Daniel a while to get up to the 15th floor, so he quickly ran over to the bathroom to grab a towel for his friend. 

The front door suddenly opened, revealing a very drenched Daniel. Minhyun handed him the towel and tried not to laugh at him. 

"Hey, sorry about bursting in. Seongwoo hyung's car broke down and we literally had no where else to go because of the rain." Daniel said, stepping aside to let Seongwoo into the apartment.

"Wait, you brought Seongwoo as well?" Minhyun's eyes widened as he watched Seongwoo walk in as well. He turned to the doorway to the kitchen, hoping Jaehwan wouldn't be walking over to greet Daniel.

"Hello, sorry to intrude. I'm Ong Seongwoo." Seongwoo smiled at Minhyun, who nodded his head slowly. This Ong Seongwoo truly looked like Prince Seongwoo and it worried Minhyun.

"It's nice to meet you. I'm Hwang Minhyun, one of Daniel's friends." Minhyun tried his best to smile back at Minhyun.

"Who's at the door?" Jaehwan's voice called from the kitchen. Daniel's eyes widened when he recognized the voice coming from the kitchen. He quickly made eye contact with Minhyun, who just let out a soft sigh.

"Daniel?" Jaehwan said as he stepped into the hallway. He walked over to him with a small smile on his face, but it quickly faded away once he saw who was next to Daniel.

"Hyung?"


	8. Chapter 8

Seongwoo blinked before replying, "I'm sorry, have we met?" 

Minhyun frowned as he stared back and forth between Jaehwan and Seongwoo. This was the worst possible scenario to happen and he wasn’t exactly sure what he should do. 

"O-Oh, I'm sorry. You just look really familiar." Jaehwan mumbled, looking down at the floor. He quickly hid behind Minhyun, staying silent.  

"Why don't you guys come inside? I can get you guys some dry clothes so that you don't get sick tonight."  

Daniel and Seongwoo slowly stepped into the apartment, being a bit careful so that they do not get the floor that wet. Jaehwan stared at Seongwoo for a moment before walking away. He had a very blank expression on his face as he sat back down in the chair he was previously sitting on in the kitchen. Jisung frowned a bit when he noticed the prince's change in demeanor.  

"Hyung, Daniel and his friend Seongwoo are here. I'm going to let them hang out here until the storm goes down." Minhyun said as he stepped into the kitchen. He was carrying a few towels and some clothes for the guests to change into. 

"Are you alright, Jaehwan?" Minhyun asked softly as he stared at the prince. Jaehwan simply nodded his head, not saying anything. 

"If you want to rest, just go sleep in my room, okay? I'll make sure they don't bother you or anything." Minhyun continued on. He pat Jaehwan's head before walking out of the kitchen and towards the living room where Daniel and Seongwoo were waiting. 

"Sorry for just dropping in like this. Seongwoo's car broke down and it's going to get picked up in like an hour." Daniel smiled at his friend before taking some clothes from him. 

"Don't worry about it, you're welcome to stay here for a while." Minhyun said as he handed Seongwoo a towel and some clothes.  

"The bathroom is in the hallway, towards the right."  

Seongwoo nodded his head and walked away to try to find the bathroom, leaving Minhyun and Daniel along together.  

"What the hell are you thinking?" 

Daniel blinked in surprise when he heard the tone of Minhyun's voice. It was a rare sight to see Minhyun upset, which was why Daniel was so surprised. 

"Excuse me?" 

"You're seriously still hanging out with him? And bringing him to my home without telling me? What if Guanlin was here too?" Minhyun was calm, but Daniel could still hear the anger in his voice.  

"What's the problem with hanging out with him? I haven't told him about time traveling to the past or about magic!" Daniel countered back, crossing his arms. 

"That's not the point. You're just using him because you obviously had feeling for Prince Seongwoo. Well, guess what? Prince Seongwoo is dead. He died the day you and Jisung came home." Minhyun's eyes narrowed slightly as he told Daniel about the prince's death. 

"Wait, what are you saying?" Daniel reached his hands forward, grabbing Minhyun by the front of his shirt. Minhyun tried to push Daniel away, but he wasn't strong enough. 

"Both of you, knock it off." Jisung's voice called out. He was standing in the doorwary of the room with a frown on his face. Daniel quickly let go of Minhyun before taking a few steps away from him. 

"We have guests and I will not have both of you getting into a fight in front of them. Daniel, you need to change your clothes and Minhyun, please be civil. Jaehwan needs you to be strong for him because he's going through a tough time."  

Minhyun let out a sigh before walking away from Daniel. He walked back into the kitchen, where Jaehwan was still eating his soup. 

"Minhyun hyung, where is Guanlin?" Jaehwan asked as Minhyun took a seat across from him. Jisung was with Daniel and Seongwoo in the living room, keeping them company. 

"Guanlin went to Seonho's house... I don't think he's ready to see you yet. I'm sorry." Minhyun stared at the prince, frowning a bit. He knew Guanlin needed some time to himself. 

"I don't blame him. I practically abandoned him here." Jaehwan let out a bitter chuckle and Minhyun just frowned even more. 

"You did what you thought was best for him and I think you made a good decision. He's learning a lot in school and he even joined a sports team. He's making a lot of friends too." Minhyun said, trying to reassure Jaehwan about the decision he had made. He knew that the prince wasfeeling guilty about everything, but it wasn't his fault at all.  

"Do you think he'll be okay if he sees me?" Jaehwan asked, looking up at Minhyun with a sad smile on his face.  

"He misses you a lot. He would sometimes talk about you and the others from the past." Minhyun replied as he stood up from his chair. He left the room, but returned shortly after holding his cellphone. He pressed his passcode into it and went into his photo gallery to show Jaehwan the pictures of Guanlin that were on it.  

There were so many pictures of Guanlin in it. There were a few of him wearing his high school uniform and Jaehwan just assumed that it was one of the first days of him going to school. There were also a few pictures of Guanlin posing next to Seonho. Jaehwan recognized the background, which was the restaurant that they had eaten at when he had first visited the future.  

Jaehwan smiled at the pictures. He could tell that Guanlin was happy and healthy, which was exactly what he wanted him to be. Guanlin was still a child and Jaehwan was glad that he would be able to grow up in a world where he could be more than just a servant. 

"He'll be back tomorrow, right?" Jaehwan said as he looked up at Minhyun.  

"Yeah, don't worry. I'll make sure he comes home to see you tomorrow." Minhyun said as he pat Jaehwan's head once more. Jaehwan leaned into his touch before letting out a sigh. 

He knew that he couldn't get comfortable in the future. He had his duty as the crown prince to return to his time, but he wasn't sure what he would do without Minhyun.  

"Can I go sleep in your room now?" Jaehwan asked and Minhyun just smiled before nodding his head.  

"I'll be there in a few minutes. Go rest for now."  

Jaehwan quietly left the kitchen, not looking back as he headed towards Minhyun's room.  

"Is he alright?"  

Minhyun turned and saw Seongwoo standing behind him. Minhyun stared at him for a moment, still in disbelief at how similar this Seongwoo was to the prince.  

"He doesn't feel too good. He was in the rain for a long time, so I think he got sick." Minhyun said. Seongwoo nodded his head slowly, keeping his gaze on Minhyun. 

"Sorry for barging in like this, I'll leave once the rain stops so that I can check on my car." Seongwoo said as he bowed his head a bit. Minhyun just waved his hand, putting on a small smile on his face. 

He had to be friendly with Seongwoo, for the sake of both Jaehwan and Guanlin. 

X 

"Guanlin! Wake up, we're going to be late for school!" 

Guanlin groaned as he felt someone shake him awake. He slowly opened his eyes and saw Seonho standing over him. The room dark, meaning that the sun had not risen yet. 

"What time is it?" Guanlin mumbled as he sat up in Seonho's bed. He felt bad that he made his friend sleep on the floor, but Seonho didn't mind at all. 

"It’s 5AM! It's time to wake up and jog around the neighborhood!" Seonho said excitedly. Guanlin stared at Seonho in shock before laying back down in bed.  

"No. I'm still dreaming. This is all a dream." Guanlin said softly as he covered his head with the blanket he was using. Seonho laughed and quickly pulled the blanket away from Guanlin, forcing him to show his face. 

"Hyungseob hyung said we have to exercise regularly to keep our muscles in shape. We have that tournament this weekend so we need to be ready to play!" Seonho smiled and pulled Guanlin's arms, dragging him out of bed. 

"Okay, let me change and then I'll be ready." Guanlin sighed an Seonho left the room to give him some privacy to change.  

Guanlin didn't even bother to change his shirt. He just grabbed a pair of shorts and changed into those instead. He let out a loud yawn as he left Seonho's room. The apartment was still quiet, meaning that Seonho's parents were probably still asleep. 

"Do you parents know you go jogging this early in the morning?" Guanlin asked as he glanced up at a clock that was hanging in the hallway. He still couldn't believe he was up this early. Normally, Jisung would wake him up at around 7AM. 

"Yes, and they're completely fine with it." Seonho stuck his tongue out at Guanlin before putting his shoes on. Guanlin followed his actions and put on his shoes as well.  

As they left the apartment, they talked about the tournament that would be happening soon. Seonho knew all about the other teams that they would be playing against, so he told Guanlin some tips on how to play. The tournament would be happening at a neighboring high school and people were invited to watch as well. 

"You should ask Minhyn hyung and Jisung hyung to watch." Seonho said once they were outside. Since it was early in the morning, it was still a bit cold. Guanlin shivered as the wind swept by him. 

"I'll ask them about it after school. Do you think we should invite Daniel hyung as well?" Guanlin asked before he and Seonho started to stretch their muscles before their jog.  

"Yeah! Invite him too, I think it would be fun." Seonho smiled before nodding at Guanlin, signaling the start of their jog. Guanlin let out another sigh before following after Seonho. 

Guanlin wasn't a slow runner, but he liked to pace himself and run slowly. He could be fast when he wanted to be, but it was too early in the morning for him to put any effort into trying. He made a mental note to never sleepover at Seonho's ever again.  

The two high school students jogged for about an hour before returning to Seonho's apartment. It was only 6:30AM when the two returned, so there was still a lot of time before school started. They both took a shower to freshen up after their morning exercise. 

"Mom! Can we have eggs for breakfast?" Seonho said as he knocked on the door of his parents' room. Guanlin stared in shock as Seonho disturbed his mother. 

"It's so early in the morning! Don't wake her up just for eggs. Let's just cook it ourselves." Guanlin said, pulling Seonho away from his parents' room.  

"I don't know how to cook." Seonho said as he took some eggs out of the refrigerator.  Guanlin let out a sigh before taking the eggs fro his friend. 

"I'll help you. Now what kind of eggs do you want?"  

"Scrambled." 

"Okay, that's easy. Go get a bowl and crack four eggs into it." Guanlin said. He was unfamiliar with Seonho's kitchen, so it took him a while to find a pan to use.  

Seonho followed Guanlin's directions and cracked four eggs into a bowl. He made sure to check to see if any shells had gotten into the bowl, but luckily there were none. 

"Now what?" Seonho asked as he stared into the bowl. 

"Get a fork and mix the eggs together. That's going make it become scrambled eggs." 

Guanlin turned the stove on and pour a little bit of oil into the pan, he waited for the pan to get hot as Seonho tried to mix the eggs. The other high school struggled for a moment, but then he quickly learned how to efficiently mix the eggs.  

The two teenagers prepared breakfast with no trouble and they even had enough leftovers for Seonho's parents to eat. They ate their food quickly, not wanting to be late for school. They still had a lot of time before class started, but taking the bus to their school would take them a while. 

Before leaving for school, Guanlin made sure to check his phone. He wasn't surprised to see a few text messages from Jisung and Minhyun. 

 **[From:** **Jisung** **hyung** **♡ - 6** **:24 PM]**  

 

> Guanlin~ Make sure you eat a lot for dinner, okay? And don't forget to thank Seonho's mother for letting you sleepover. Don't stay up too late! You and Seonho still have school tomorrow.  

**[From:** **Jisung** **hyung** **♡ -** **8:51** **PM]**  

 

> You didn't answer my text message earlier! TT.TT Are you having fun with Seonho? Sleep early!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

**[From:** **Minhy** **un** **hyung** **☆** **-** **9** **:00** **PM]**  

 

> I hope you finished all your homework. You have a test later this week, don’t forget about it! 

**[From:** **Minhy** **un** **hyung** **☆** **-** **11: 34** **PM]**  

 

> And come back home tomorrow... I know seeing Jaehwan might feel uncomfortable, but he really wants to talk to you. He has his reasons for doing what he did and he wants to explain everything. He cares about you... We all do.  

Guanlin sighed as he read over all of the text messages. He knew he couldn't hide from Jaehwan forever, but he still felt like he wasn’t ready.  

He felt like he was never going to be ready to face Jaehwan again. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ITS ALMOST BEEN A FULL MONTH SINCE AN UPDATE wow i am so sorry i had a lot of things (school) going on and i was always busy (work) so i never had a chance to update. i've been working on this update for three weeks now. ahh hhh hhhhhhhh. 
> 
> sorry for it being sloppy and all the grammar mistakes and spelling errors!!!

"Pass the ball, Seonho! Don't hog it from everyone."

"Pick up your feet. You need to be light on your feet!"

"Guanlin! No slowing down. Keep defending the opposite team!"

Hyungseob yelled as he watched the players on the basketball team play against each other. He knew he was being strict, but they really needed to prepare for the tournament that was going to happen during the weekend, which was just two days away. They needed as much practice they could get, especially because Guanlin was a new player on the team. Their team dynamics changed, which meant they would have to get used to new team strategies as well. 

"Euiwoong! No slacking off! You need to run faster!"

The team was practicing in the gym of the high school even though school had ended hours ago. It was nearly 7 PM, but Hyungseob had said practice was nowhere near being over. The players weren't expecting to practice so late into the evening, but they knew they didn't have much of a choice. 

"Do you think we'll be able to leave soon?" Guanlin panted, trying to block Seonho from making a shot. The two were on opposing teams, but neither were going easy on each other just because they were friends. Guanlin managed to smack the ball out of Seonho's hands, stealing it away. He ran down to the other side of the court and stopped at the three-point line. He aimed quickly and tossed the ball, hoping for the best.

The basketball went straight into the hoop, meaning Guanlin scored another three points. He grinned once he realized he had gotten the shot in.

"Alright, that's enough for the day." Hyungseob called out and all of the players on the court immediately fell to the ground. They were absolutely exhausted. 

"Hyungseobie hyung! I can't feel my legs!" Seonho complained as he lay on the hard surface of the gym floor. He lifted his head and looked over to his right, seeing Guanlin in the same exact position.

"Good. It means you worked your muscles today." Hyungseob replied, handing Seonho a bottle of water. He walked over to Guanlin and handed him a bottle as well.

"Do we have practice again tomorrow? It's the day before the tournament." Guanlin asked as he sat up and drank the water. He finished nearly half of it with three gulps.

"No, there's no practice tomorrow." Hyungseob smiled before walking back over to the benches.

Seonho and Guanlin's eyes widened and they both turned to stare at each other. They quickly stood up and ran over to the team captain.

"Hyung, why isn't there practice tomorrow? Shouldn't we be practicing since the tournament is so close?" Seonho panicked, not knowing what the team captain was thinking. The team still wasn't perfect and they still had a lot to practice. 

"I need you guys to take a break tomorrow. I don't want you guys to be overworked and tired during the tournament. Just relax and everything will be fine" Hyungseob smiled at the two teenagers before packing his things together. The rest of the team followed the captain's actions and everyone got their things ready to go. They were all exhausted as they left the gym together.

"You're going back home today, aren't you?" Seonho asked Guanlin as they walked out together. His mother was going to pick him up in her car, so Guanlin would have to take the bus home alone.

"Yeah, Minhyun hyung told me that I have to come home..." Guanlin sighed while exiting the building. There were many cars waiting outside of the gym of the school and Guanlin assumed the cars belonged to the parents of those on the team. He felt a bit jealous of everyone with their parents. He still wished he could remember them.

"Guanlin!" 

Both Seonho and Guanlin turned in the direction that the voice came from. To their surprise, Jisung had his car parked in the line of cars as well. He was smiling and waving over at the students.

"Oh, Jisung hyung came to pick you up! That's good." Seonho waved back at Jisung, feeling happy to see him.

"And good luck with Jaehwan hyung, by the way. Don't overthink it too much, okay?" Seonho continued on before patting Guanlin on the back. Seonho then walked off to where his mother's car was parked. Guanlin let out another sigh before walking over to Jisung's car. 

"You guys were practicing for a while. I've been waiting for like an hour." Jisung said as Guanlin entered the car. Guanlin held his backpack close to him and just nodded his head.

"I know you probably don't want to come home right now, but Minhyun and I both had a talk with Jaehwan and he really wants to talk with you now."

Guanlin knew that he couldn't keep hiding from Jaehwan forever, but that didn't change the fact that he was still wary about facing the prince again. He wasn't ready and he probably would never be ready. He had been abandoned not once, but twice in his life and that was something that he would remember as long as he lived. 

"I don't really have much of a choice, do I?" Guanlin mumbled softly as he started to stare out of the window. It was already dark outside, but Guanlin could see that the clouds were starting to gather in the sky. It was definitely going to rain later in the evening and the probable downpour truly matched the situation he was in.

"Just talk to him. Minhyun took him out to eat so he won't be there when we get back home. Think about what you want to tell him, okay? You both need your closure." 

The young high school student let out a sigh, but he knew Jisung was right. The only way for him to forgive Jaehwan was to actually sit down and have a talk with him. 

But Guanlin wasn't sure if he was going to like hearing what Jaehwan had to say.

X

Jaehwan knew he had nothing to worry about whenever he was around Minhyun. Even though he was technically a witch, Minhyun was as harmless as a puppy and would cause no problem at all. That's why Jaehwan always felt safe around Minhyun. There was something about him, something about his aura, that just relaxed Jaehwan and made him feel at ease.

"Jaehwan, are you okay?"

Jaehwan blinked and it took him a moment to realize that he had started to let his thoughts wander. He glanced back at Minhyun, who was seated across from him before nodding his head slowly.

"Sorry, I was just thinking..." The prince said softly, smiling a bit at Minhyun. However, Minhyun didn't return the smile and was frowning instead. The two young men were at a small café, drinking some tea after dinner. Minhyun wasn't sure how long Jaehwan would be in the future and he wanted to make sure they spent as much time together as they could. 

"I know a lot has happened since we last met, but you've changed quite a bit." Minhyun said, staring at Jaehwan with a concerned expression on his face. Jaehwan just chuckled, immediately understanding what Minhyun was hinting at. After Seongwoo's death, there was a heavy burden placed on Jaehwan's shoulders and with that heavy burden, there came great responsibility. He would soon be king, even though he was never trained to be. 

"I'm just nervous about talking to Guanlin and also about going back home." Jaehwan replied, looking away from Minhyun's piercing stare. He couldn't face him.

"You don't have to go back." The words escaped Minhyun's mouth before he had the chance to realize what he was saying. Jaehwan's eyes widened once he heard what Minhyun had said.

"I wish I could stay, but Daehwi still needs me by his side. I can't lose one more brother." 

Minhyun nodded his head, smiling sadly towards Jaehwan.

"Have you ever heard of the play Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare?" 

Jaehwan furrowed his eyebrows a bit at the unfamiliar title, not quite sure what exactly it was. It probably came out after his time.

"If you haven't heard of it, that's okay. It's about two star-crossed lovers. I'll read it to you later tonight." 

Minhyun watched as Jaehwan carefully grasped his cup of tea before bringing it to his lips to drink. He was unusually quiet throughout their dinner, which meant he was most likely thinking about how he would have to confront Guanlin later at night. Minhyun knew that it was going to be hard for the prince, but he had no other choice left if he wanted to give his former servant the closure he deserved. 

X

Daniel knew what he was doing was wrong. He knew that he would face consequences if his plan didn't exactly work out and one of the biggest consequences that worried him was hurting Seongwoo's feelings. 

He also knew that Minhyun had a point. The only reason why Daniel even approached Seongwoo was because he resembled Prince Seongwoo. It was a strange coincidence that they had the same name, but it was probably just that, a coincidence. 

"Are you sure you have to leave already?" 

Daniel stumbled out of bed, looking for his clothes on the floor. He wasn't quite sure how he ended up at Seongwoo apartment in the middle of the day. But one thing happened after another and now he had to somehow put sense into what had just occurred. 

"Yeah, I told my mother I would be home for dinner. I only told her I was going to be out for an hour." Daniel glanced at the clock that was on the wall, looking at the time. He had told his mother he would be back in an hour nearly three hours ago. She was probably worried about him.

After Minhyun had told Daniel about Prince Seongwoo's death, Daniel didn't want to leave Seongwoo's side. He was scared of losing him as well. He still refused to believe that Prince Seongwoo was actually dead. 

Daniel managed to find his clothes off to the side of the bed and he quickly put them back on. As he was pulling his shirt back on, he tried his best to ignore the strange sensation of Seongwoo watching him. Even though he wasn't facing the model, Daniel knew he was watching. 

"I'll text you later tonight, okay?" Seongwoo smiled at Daniel, but he didn't get out of bed. Daniel just nodded his head before waving his hand goodbye. He knew how to let himself out. 

As Daniel was leaving Seongwoo's apartment complex, he made sure to check his phone for any missed messages or calls. He had a few messages from his mother, but those weren't the only ones in his inbox.

**[From:** **Guanlinnie** **– 7:13 PM]**

> Hello Daniel hyung, this is Guanlin. If you aren't busy this weekend, do you want to come with Minhyun hyung and Jisung hyung to my basketball tournament? Let me know if you can come! 

**[From: Emperor Hwang – 7:37 PM]**

> Hey, sorry about what happened yesterday. I didn't mean to get mad at you like that, but I was just worried about Jaehwan and Guanlin. Why don't you bring Seongwoo with you to Guanlin's tournament? I'm sure he's a good guy.

**[From: Ong** **Seongwoo** **– 7:57 PM]**

> Want to have lunch together tomorrow? I have a photoshoot in the morning, but I'm all yours in the afternoon.

Daniel smiled a bit at the message from Seongwoo. The model had texted him only a minute after he had left. He made sure to reply to Seongwoo first before reading over the other two messages he had received. He wanted to support Guanlin at his basketball tournament, so he going to attend for sure and since Minhyun said he could bring Seongwoo with him, it was a win-win situation. Minhyun would get to know more about Seongwoo and Daniel would be able to support Guanlin at his tournament.

Minhyun didn't seem to be that mad at him anymore, so Daniel texted his friend back saying that he was going to ask Seongwoo if he wanted to come along as well. 

Daniel wasn't sure if Jaehwan was going to be at the tournament as well, but he could only hope that things would go well between the prince and Seongwoo. 

X

"Guanlin, if you don't step into this apartment right now I'm going to ground you for the next three weeks."

"Hyung, that's not fair! You're not giving me any options!"

"No, you're the one that's not giving  _me_  any options! Now hurry up and come inside because Minhyun is going to be home any minute with Jaehwan and you two are going to have a talk in the kitchen." 

Jisung gently pulled the teenager into the apartment, despite his unwillingness to step inside. In the car, Guanlin seemed like he was ready to talk to the prince, but once he stepped into the building his entire attitude changed. He became even more nervous and wasn't sure if he was ready. Jisung had to force him out of the car, much to his own dismay. 

"Now go take a shower and then meet me in the kitchen. I'll have dinner ready for you." Jisung pat Guanlin's shoulder softly before walking off into the kitchen to start preparing the young student's dinner. 

Guanlin let out a heavy sigh as he dragged himself towards his room. He threw his bag on his bed and grabbed some clothes to change into after his shower. He at least had some time to think before Minhyun returned with Jaehwan, so he was going to gather his thoughts as best as he could.

Meanwhile, in the kitchen, Jisung was just preparing a quick meal for Guanlin and himself. He knew Minhyun and Jaehwan went out for dinner, so he didn't have to prepare any for them. Guanlin was very fond of meat so Jisung made sure to include some in their dinner. He wanted to teenager to be comfortable because he knew he was going through a hard time. Guanlin still didn't know that Prince Seongwoo was dead and Jisung was sure Jaehwan was going to tell him about it.

"Hyung! We're back." Minhyun's voice called out from the entrance of the apartment. 

"I'm in the kitchen!" Jisung replied, not leaving the stove. A few moments later, Minhyun and Jaehwan appeared in the doorway. Minhyun had a small smile on his face, but Jaehwan appeared to be quite solemn. Jisung could only assume it was because he was going to face Guanlin again. 

"Tomorrow's Friday so I have Calculus in the morning. I wasn't able to finish my homework so I'll be in my room finishing it up." Minhyun said, more to Jaehwan than to his older brother. Jisung just hummed softly, acknowledging what Minhyun had said. 

"I'll just wait here for Guanlin." Jaehwan said softly as he walked over to sit at the dining table. Minhyun smiled a bit before turning to his brother.

"Just come call me if anything happens. I wanted to give them time alone." Minhyun said before leaving the kitchen. He walked back into his room and Jisung heard his door close. 

"Did you have a nice dinner?" Jisung asked as he set the table for Guanlin. Jaehwan nodded his head at Jisung's question. 

"Minhyun hyung took me out to a nice place. It seems like the future has many different kinds of food! Then after dinner, we drank some tea. I enjoyed myself."Jaehwan replied, thinking about the time he had just spent with Minhyun. Rather than talk about the past , Jaehwan wanted to know more about what was happening in the future. Minhyun had talked about how his college classes were going and they even talked about Guanlin as well. 

Jaehwan was a bit shocked to hear that Guanlin had joined a sports team. When Guanlin was living in the past, he did not partake in activities that would require much energy. Dongho often wanted to train the young boy, but Guanlin was always unwilling to participate. Minhyun also mentioned that Guanlin had a tournament in a couple days and Jaehwan was quite curious about it as well. He wanted to see what kind of sport Guanlin has joined. 

"Hyung, I texted Daniel hyung and invited him to me tourna-" 

Jaehwan immediately stood up when he heard his former servant's voice. Guanlin walked into the kitchen wearing his pajamas and he had a towel around his neck. He stared at Jaehwan for a moment before bowing.

"Prince Jaehwan, it's nice to see you again."

As if to break the strange atmosphere, Jisung placed a bowl of food down onto the table for Guanlin. It was just rice and meat, but it was good enough for Guanlin. 

"I'll be eating in my room. Just call me or Minhyun if you need us." Jisung smiled at both Guanlin and Jaehwan before leaving the kitchen with his own bowl of food.

Guanlin glanced at the prince before taking a seat at the table. He slowly started to eat his food, waiting for Jaehwan to begin talking. Jaehwan sat back down carefully and stared across the table at his former servant.

"You seem to be healthy." Jaehwan started off saying as he looked over Guanlin's appearance. When they had first met, Guanlin was a scrawny young boy that didn't get enough to eat. Now, Guanlin seemed to have matured into a young man. 

"Jisung hyung always makes me eat three meals a day. He gets worried if I skip a meal." Guanlin replied as he took a bite of his food. Jaehwan smiled and nodded his head. Jisung truly was a caring person. 

"Have you made any friends at school?" Jaehwan asked, remembering how Minhyun said Guanlin was attending school. Jaehwan wasn't sure how Guanlin was able to enroll, but at least he was having lessons.

"I go to school with Seonho, you remember him, right? He's the guy that's obsessed with Minhyun hyung. He introduced me to a few people at school as well." Guanlin said, as he glanced back up at the prince again. They used to be quite comfortable with each other, but now everything had changed. Guanlin felt like he didn't know who the prince was anymore.

"Listen, I know you're upset with my decision of leaving you here in the future, but I only did it because I wanted you to live a happy life." Jaehwan rushed his words out, unable to hold himself back anymore.

"But think about all of the things I had to sacrifice in order to live here! I gave up everything I was just to live here. For the first few weeks I was here, I was a wreck! Jisung hyung skipped work to help me get situated and Minhyun hyung spent extra time tutoring me so that I could attend school. I had to relearn literally everything I knew about living!" Guanlin rarely ever raised his voice, but he could not help himself anymore. He had to let out all of his feelings in order to finally have closure.

"I know it was hard, but you're doing so much better here. When I returned home, we had a confrontation with the witches and Seongwoo hyung was killed right before my eyes. He found out that he was a witch himself and was killed by his own kind... Father’s health eventually deteriorated even more after that happened and that’s why I am inheriting the throne in just about two weeks. I saw that you had a great potential to grow, so I had to leave you behind.” Jaehwan watched carefully for Guanlin’s reaction after telling him about Prince Seongwoo’s death. The former servant’s eyes widened and he stared up at Jaehwan in shock. 

"Prince Seongwoo is dead?”

Jaehwan nodded his head slowly, frowning slightly before looking away from Guanlin. He felt guilty for not being able to tell Guanlin sooner. He hated keeping secrets from people, but sometimes he had no choice.

“And you’re going to become King in a few weeks?” Guanlin asked, still staring at the prince. Jaehwan was quite young to become King, so Guanlin was a bit worried about him. He couldn’t imagine Jaehwan becoming the King at such a young age. In the past, they had always talked about what life would be like if Jaehwan would inherit the throne, but Guanlin never thought that it would actually happen.

“Jonghyun hyung and Minki hyung have been working on the preparations for the coronation. I ran away so that I could clear my mind and make amends with you before all of my free time was taken away." Jaehwan said, frowning when the royal advisor came to mind. He knew Jonghyun was going to be very upset when he returned. He couldn't imagine what was happening in the past without his presence. 

"This is a lot to take in, your highness... But I guess I understand why you did everything you did." Guanlin said slowly as he tried to take in all of the information he had just been told. He couldn't believe that Prince Seongwoo was dead, but there was no reason for Jaehwan to lie to him.

"Wait, if Prince Seongwoo is dead... Who is that guy that Daniel mentioned before?" Guanlin asked, not sure if Jaehwan knew who he was refering to.

"I met him yesterday... He looks a lot like my brother, but that can't be him. I saw him die right in front of me." Jaehwan replied, thinking of Seongwoo's last moments. He remembered holding Seongwoo until his last breath. 

"You know, Jonghyun hyung once told me that when a witch dies, their bodies are what actually die. However, their souls still live on." 

Jaehwan's eyes were wide with shock as he spoke, "Are you saying there's a possibility that the Seongwoo in this time may somehow be my brother?"

"No, he's not actually Prince Seongwoo, but he may be a reincarnation... The only way to test it would be to see if he has the magic abilities of a witch." Guanlin replied as he tried to remember what Jonghyun had previously told him. The royal advisor had taught Guanlin all that he known about witches. 

Jaehwan ran a hand through his hair, feeling almost frustrated at what he had just been told. After meeting Seongwoo the day before, Jaehwan definitely felt shocked at how much he resembled his brother, but the thought of him being a reincarnation was just too much to take. Jaehwan had read about reincarnations before and the one thing he remembered was that reincarnations don't have the memories of their past selves. Instead, reincarnations shared the same abilities as their past selves.

This meant that the Seongwoo living in the future was powerful, but Jaehwan had no idea if he was stable with his magic. If something were to happen and Seongwoo were to unlock his abilities on accident, then there was chance that an accident may happen. Unlocking a witch's magic was especially dangerous.

Jaehwan needed to make sure this Seongwoo wasn't dangerous. 

He had no idea what he was capable of.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tell me what you think below! also there's going to be minhwan and ongniel in the next chapter.  
> thanks for reading!!!!

**Author's Note:**

> stay tuned to some special guests! 
> 
> also follow me on twitter @nuestology : )


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